A Million Kilometres in a Month – Koleje Dolnośląskie Set Another Record!

Only two carriers in Poland can boast such an achievement. – Several times we came “within a hair’s breadth” of it, as we were approaching this magic number practically every month in 2023. In March, we fell eight thousand kilometres short of one million. Now we have exceeded that figure – says Damian Stawikowski, president of Koleje Dolnośląskie.

Year after year, Koleje Dolnośląskie travel more and more kilometres. In 2023, the total is expected to exceed 12 million.

Where does this million come from?

To show the scale of the work performed by Koleje Dolnośląskie, it is best to compare it with the achievements of railway carriers from other provinces. For example, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, the so-called transport work commissioned by the regional marshal’s office amounts to 2 million kilometres, while the regional carrier travels 1.8 million kilometres. But that is on an annual, not monthly, basis.

– It is pleasing to read articles in nationwide media outlets that speak of a renaissance of railways and cite Lower Silesia as an example. We border the Czech Republic, which, in my opinion, has one of the best public transport systems in Europe. We aspire to match it and want the railway offer in Lower Silesia to improve every year – says Cezary Przybylski, Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.

Only two entities in Poland achieve one million kilometres per month travelled by a railway carrier commissioned by a single marshal’s office: Koleje Mazowieckie and, since July 2023, Koleje Dolnośląskie. It should be remembered that in the Masovian Voivodeship, regional railways operate, among other places, in the Warsaw metropolitan area, whose population exceeds three million.

How does it work in Warsaw?

Warsaw is an exception – railways in the metropolitan area operate there on a different level than in any other city in Poland. The Warsaw municipal authorities pay carriers more than PLN 200 million annually for the possibility of accepting city tickets on Koleje Mazowieckie and Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa trains. Receiving this compensation enables the carriers to improve their services for metropolitan residents. With support not only from Warsaw but also from the municipalities of the Warsaw metropolitan area, Koleje Mazowieckie operate approximately 1.6 million kilometres per month. Koleje Dolnośląskie are now joining the group of regional carriers achieving monthly operating work of 1 million kilometres.

– Lower Silesia is investing in railways so that the region’s residents can use them conveniently. Koleje Dolnośląskie’s most modern Elf2 trains carry passengers as part of the so-called Lower Silesian Metropolitan Railway. This service saves time: from districts such as Wojnów and Strachocin, we can reach central Wrocław in approximately 30 minutes. It is a real alternative for people who use a car every day – notes Krzysztof Maj, a member of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Board responsible, among other things, for the operation of the metropolitan area.

It was during the current term of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Board that passenger trains returned, among other places, to Lubin (72,000 residents), Bielawa (29,000) and Sobótka (7,000). Świeradów-Zdrój and Karpacz will soon be added to the connections network.

– Residents of Lower Silesia travel on six new Impuls II hybrid trains and new Elf2 trains. Two diesel Kolzams, freshly overhauled, will soon arrive in Lower Silesia. Compared with the 8 million kilometres travelled in 2018, at the beginning of the current term of the regional authorities, Koleje Dolnośląskie will travel 12 million kilometres in 2023 – says Tymoteusz Myrda, a member of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Board responsible for railways.

The Lower Silesian Voivodeship Board is also the first in Poland to implement a project launching railway connections… by bus. On inactive railway lines, before their revitalisation, buses in Koleje Dolnośląskie colours operate, allowing residents of the region to travel without purchasing a separate ticket. The first connection of this type began operating in June 2022 from Kłodzko to Stronie Śląskie. More than 73,000 travellers have already used it. Following this pilot project, further buses will begin operating in September 2023. Góra will soon be added to the list of these towns.